PETALING JAYA: The Sessions Court was informed today that no foreign deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was found in the anus of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin.
ASP Mohd Hafizee Ismail, 38, a former senior investigating officer at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters and currently an operations intelligence officer in the Criminal Investigation Division at the South Klang IPD, stated that the analysis of the specimen swabbed from the deceased revealed only his DNA.
“At 7.15 pm on Dec 9, 2023, I visited the Chemistry Department to collect the DNA samples sent on Dec 8, 2023. Sample H3, taken from the deceased’s sternum bone, matched his DNA. Meanwhile, sample H4, swabbed from the deceased’s anus, showed no foreign DNA; only his DNA was present,“ he said.
Mohd Hafizee said on Dec 12, 2023, at 8.55 pm, he received an initial report from a chemist confirming that the foreign object found in the deceased’s bronchus (the air passage to the lungs) was a type of Pulai leaf.
“Based on this information, I inspected the scene and found a Pulai tree about 10 metres from where his body was found,“ read the 28th prosecution witness from his witness statement on the 17th day of the trial against Zayn Rayyan’s parents, Ismanira Abdul Manaf and Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, who are facing neglect charges before Judge Dr. Syahliza Warnoh.
The witness said on Dec 7, 2023, he went to Sungai Buloh Hospital after being informed of injuries on the deceased’s body indicative of possible foul play, where he asked forensic pathologist Dr. Siti Rohayu Shahar Adnan about the said injuries.
“Dr. Siti Rohayu pointed out the deceased’s left ear, which appeared limp, an incision mark on the right arm, and what looked like a puncture wound at the anus. Throughout the autopsy, I was present with ASP Mohd Nasir Mustapha and a police photographer assigned to document the procedure,” he said.
He further noted other visible injuries on the deceased, such as bruises on the forehead, back, arms, chest, cheeks, eyes, lips, and jaw; a laceration on the left ear; bruising and signs of strangulation on the neck; and a cut-like injury on the right arm.
He also observed signs of tearing around the anal region, believed to be caused by a blunt object (consistent with recent trauma), as well as the presence of foreign objects in the bronchus and stomach.
In an earlier hearing, Dr. Siti Rohayu, who conducted the post-mortem examination on Zayn Rayyan, confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation, not drowning.
Following the post-mortem report by Dr. Rohayu, Mohd Hafizee said he proceeded to the scene of the incident near Block R, Idaman Apartments, Damansara Damai at 10.30 pm on Dec 7, 2023, with the D10 IPK Forensics Team and police K9 Unit.
“Upon arrival at Idaman Apartments, we proceeded to the deceased’s residence at Block R and searched the premises. Inside the house, I observed a pair of black shoes with mud stains next to the refrigerator in the first room near the kitchen.
“I instructed the Forensics Team to mark the shoes and directed the assigned photographer to take pictures,” he said.
He added that he also ordered the forensic unit to collect soil samples from the area where the deceased was found for submission to the Chemistry Department for analysis.
On June 13 last year, Zaim Ikhwan and Ismanira, both aged 30, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to a charge of neglecting their six-year-old autistic son in a manner likely to cause physical harm.
The offence allegedly occurred along PJU Damansara Damai between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55 pm on Dec 6, 2023.
They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which is punishable by a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both upon conviction.
Zayn Rayyan was reported missing on Dec 5, 2023, and his body was discovered in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, the following day.
He was believed to have been murdered, and an autopsy revealed injuries to his neck and body, consistent with self-defense.
